Geese are intelligent, social waterfowl with strong pair bonds and extensive behavioral needs that are poorly accommodated in commercial farming systems.
Farmed goose welfare shares many challenges with duck welfare — denial of water access, social disruption, and environmental deprivation — but geese are longer-lived, more cognitively complex animals whose welfare needs are even more demanding. Foie gras production is the most extreme case, involving force-feeding that causes liver disease, esophageal damage, and respiratory distress. Even conventional goose farming for meat and down typically fails to meet behavioral needs for water access, social living, and environmental complexity. Consumer awareness of these issues is lower than for chickens or pigs despite comparable welfare concerns.